Monday, February 11, 2013

Staying on the back burner

I hear this one all the time from clients. News Director calls, loves the tape. Tells client he's going to make a decision n a few weeks. A few weeks go by. ND says the decision is coming soon. Weeks become months. Job remains open. Client gets frustrated and wants to move on.

And that's the last thing you should do.

If you've made it to the short list and a News Director keeps stringing you along like this, you need to stay in the back of his mind. The hiring may have been delayed, the GM can't make a decision, corporate wants approval, whatever. Just because that two week decision is stretching into several months doesn't mean you should give up because it may be out of the ND's hand.

So you need to stay in the back of his mind. Touch base every month or so by sending a link to a great package you've done or an entirely new tape with a few good stories. He probably hasn't forgotten you, but this will ensure that he doesn't.

One client got hired more than a year after sending the first tape by sending periodic updates. Trust me, it pays to stay in touch.

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